When the Battle Changed Them Both
by MessersBombDiggity4
Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco suddenly finds himself in love with Harry, and Draco can't bring himself to tell him, what would he say? Until a sudden twist of fate demands they they be together. But this cannot last, since Draco and Harry's friends are determined to keep them apart. For good. Or can they?
1. Something Wrong

Draco was terrified coming back to the school after the Battle of Hogwarts. He was fidgety all the way to King's Cross Station, and his father kept giving him odd looks as Draco ignored his mother's teary-eyed goodbye on the platform. Truth be told, Draco was feeling nervous more than afraid. He made sure to tell everyone in the Slytherin compartment to shut up and not talk to him because he had gotten Spattergoit over the summer. Of course, this was a lie. He just needed time to think about….. _him_.

Draco had made sure to get the smallest compartment, the one closest to the back of the Hogwarts Express, and settled in.

After he had purchased some food from the lunch trolley, he sat at the far end of the compartment and stared out the window, looking at nothing particularly, just mist and the blurry outline of trees rushing past, a thick puff of smoke from the scarlet engine masking the whole, gloomy scene.

But to Draco, it set the perfect mood. The perfect mood for gloomy thoughts to think about.

And boy, did he have a lot of them.

As Draco took a bite from a chocolate cauldron, he mulled over his feelings once again, something he didn't do very often. After the fabled Battle, he felt something for that boy, something that wasn't there before. Draco had known he was bisexual for a while; he had considered it since he wasn't attracted to any of the Slytherin girls, or any girls, for that matter.

But why to that boy in particular? Nothing good had come out of their previous encounters, and yet, there _was_ the Room of Requirement….

Someone tapped the window. Draco was harshly yanked away from his train (pun intended) of thought. He turned around to face the door, a snarl curling his lips.

And, as if all the gods were against him, there he stood behind the door, his glasses askew.

Draco's sudden love.

Harry Potter.


	2. The Lone Slytherin

Sorry, I forgot to add this in my last chapter, and I don't enjoy this, but I don't own the beautiful and extremely hot Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter (not to mention the others, but I absolutely adore these two)

But, then again, the amazing Jo Rowling owns them.

And I wouldn't have it any other way :)

* * *

Harry faced the door of the last compartment which kept a lone Slytherin from the rest of the world. Draco Malfoy. It usually irked him to be sent to call Malfoy to remind him that the train was nearing Hogsmead Station, but after the Battle of Hogwarts, something changed in him, when Malfoy came back because he saw Harry alive.

Since then, he felt….well, he didn't know how to describe it. Harry looked through the glass, his mouth dry. Draco had lost his usual slicked-back hair, but instead left it messy and unkempt, and it hung well past the collar of his heavily wrinkled white shirt. His back was turned to the window, and Harry felt extremely guilty for admiring Him.

After the Battle, he and Hermione continued their studies in Ginny's year. Hermione did it because, well, she was Hermione. And Harry did it because he needed another N.E.W.T. in Potions to become an Auror. Ron had confessed to Harry that he was planning to propose to Hermione, and he was waiting for the big Weasley family Christmas dinner to do it. Till then, he moved in to help George run Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. It turns out, he was pretty good at it, and George was very proud of Ron for helping him out.

Ginny and Harry had been dating, but he wasn't feeling it, and suddenly this Draco thing came up, and now his emotional life was messed up.

He actually liked Draco, and this grew when he saw Draco on the front page of the Daily Prophet, having carted his Death Eater father Lucius Malfoy off to Azkaban. The amount of bravery to make such a bold move gave Harry new respect for Draco, but they were enemies, and that's how it would stay.

Or would it?

Harry sighed as he ran a hand through his raven-colored hair, and tapped the glass, softly at first, then one hard, solid knock.

Draco whipped around, his silver-grey eyes wide with shock and his pale lips drawn back in a snarl. As it dawned on Draco that Harry was the one who knocked, he reacted the opposite of what Harry expected. Draco's snarl became even fiercer, and his broad, angular shoulders tensed up.

Harry looked at Draco. Draco looked at Harry. Neither of them moved.

Finally, Harry seemed to suddenly snap back into the present, as if he used a time-turner to go somewhere in the past, and it sure felt like it, because Draco didn't move a muscle. They were staring each other down. Harry decided to make the first move. 'Can I come in?' He asked after sliding the door open just a little. 'Why?' Asked Malfoy in a nervous and somewhat excited voice.

'Well, I'm supposed to go around and tell everyone to quote unquote "get their bloody robes on we're nearing the damned station".' Laughed Harry, forgetting for a while that he was in the company of his most hated enemy. 'Who said that? Surely not-' Malfoy was cut off by a knowing look from Harry. 'Ah. Dean Thomas. He's become a little…temperamental, isn't he?' Malfoy said, motioning for Harry to sit on the seat opposite him.

Excitement and a sort of pleasure building in his chest, he put on what he hoped was a calm mask and strode into the compartment, closing the door behind him. 'Yeah, he's been that way ever since Ginny broke up with him.' Harry replied coolly, although he felt something when he looked at Draco that choked him.

Harry, not wanting to seem like he had a crush on the man sitting opposite to him, turned to the window, and felt his cheeks gradually get warm.

'Oh. So, this-this Weasley, Ginny, right?' Malfoy asked for confirmation. Harry nodded and encouraged him to go on with the shock when he realised that that was the first time he had heard Malfoy use any of the Weasleys' first names. 'She broke up with Dean to date…you?' said Malfoy, offering Harry a pale blue Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean.

Harry was silent. This was a very personal question, and Harry felt uncomfortable discussing it with Draco. Although he wanted to, he knew Ron would never talk to him ever again if he found out. Harry carefully tried to steer the conversation to another topic. 'Why are you being so nice to me, all of a sudden?' blurted out Harry. He simply had to know. Malfoy looked stunned. Harry took the bean from his hand, and grinned as the train carriage shook. 'I-um, well…?' Malfoy was stumped for words.

'Can I ask you something, Draco?' Harry felt a thick bubble of pleasure grow inside his chest when he said Malfoy's first name. He enjoyed that feeling immensely. 'Shoot.' Said Draco, his pale cheeks flushing red at being addressed "Draco" by a non-Slytherin. 'Why did you come back? Not just to Hogwarts, but, at the Battle, you could have been a Death Eater. So, why?' Asked Harry, knowing it was an extremely personal question.

But, then again, Draco did ask about his relationship with Ginny. And that was pretty much like the Titanic, a muggle ship which had sunk after hitting an iceberg.

'I guess that's a question for another time, eh Potter?' Harry felt faintly downcast(and scolded himself later for it) that Draco had addressed him as "Potter" and not "Harry", and embarrassed when he saw Hermione at the door, smiling pleasantly and beckoning Harry to come out and change into his robes. As Harry got up to leave, Draco stood up beside him, and whispered into his ear; 'Meet me by the Black Lake, tonight, midnight. Bring your dad's cloak.'

It was all Harry could do to pay attention to anything else until midnight.


	3. Midnight by the Black Lake

'Oh Gods, what am I doing?' murmured Draco Malfoy, raking a hand through his white blonde hair. He was standing on the far end of the pier that led out to the Black Lake. He remembered when they held the Triwizard Tournament here, and shivered as a cold draft blew across the surface of the lake.

Draco pulled up his hood, and his silvery grey eyes watched the inky black water rippled. 'He's not going to show up, even if my life depended on it.' He scolded himself as he thought back to the moment when he asked Harry to meet him at midnight tonight. All the same, Draco glanced at his watch. The slim gold hands were pointed at five minutes to twelve.

He waited for a while more, pacing across the pier. His arms were folded over his chest, and he worried about curfew, then he remembered Harry's cloak. But, they were practically grown men now. And two grown men under an invisibility cloak which was possibly too small (he hadn't got to try it on) roaming through Hogwarts castle was, well, something one did not see very often. Or didn't see, since the men were under an _invisibility_ cloak, and then Draco smacked his forehead.

He tended to overthink things when he was stressed, or anxious, or both, and now was not the time to be either. He checked his watch again. It was twelve, and he fiddled with the clasp of his cloak as despair and a sort of longing/lust solidified in his chest, and Draco wanted to strangle somebody.

'Well, you're early.' Said a casual voice behind him. Draco whipped around and he saw a thick, messy pile of hair uncover itself from nothingness, followed by a round pair of glasses and the most perfect green eyes. _He was under the cloak_ , thought Draco, his face flushing red in embarrassment and the thick feeling in in chest dropping to the bottom of his stomach.

'So, what did you call me down here for, a date? Cause if you did, then we're way past curfew. I had to make up one heck of a lie to get past the Fat Lady.' Laughed Harry, stuffing the cloak into his pocket. 'Stop. Stop right there.' Draco commanded, holding his hand out for the cloak. Harry gave him a funny look and reluctantly handed the crumpled-up cloak to Draco.

Harry sat down on the edge of the pier, his long nimble legs dangling in the water. Draco sat down next to him, tucking his legs underneath him, a nervous look working its way into his face.

Harry saw him, and grinned. 'Why don't you relax? We're men. We can do whatever we want.' And, as a sudden afterthought, he added 'When our wives and girlfriends don't know where we are.' Draco frowned and stared at Harry accusingly. 'What?! We are men, aren't we?' Harry gave Draco a wry look, sizing him up.

'Of course we're men, idiot. But, there are _things_ in the Black Lake. Aren't you afraid?' said Draco, slightly easing up on his frown. 'Nah. I guess defeating the Dark Lord has made me sort of…fearless, I guess. But, a few weeks ago, I realised that I was still afraid of something. I was afraid that my head would start aching again, and he would be back. And my destiny would be passed on to my children or something. The last thing I want is to restrict anyone else's future to my expectations. Like what happened to me. That sucked.'

Harry smiled sadly, taking back the cloak from Draco who had folded it up neatly, like he was taught to do since he was very little. 'Oh.' Was all he said, realising that Harry was not as shallow as he thought.

'And what about you? Are you afraid of anything?' Harry said, changing the subject. 'Ah. Well, I am afraid of something, but not as selfless or deep as you.' answered Draco, deciding to be honest with Harry. 'I'm afraid to have to raise my own children. Because everyone expects me to have a career in the Dark Arts, and to force someone who looks up to me to do something they don't want to give a fuck about is something I don't want to do. Everyone expects me to, but honestly, I don't want to have any kids if that's what they expect.'

'Because you hate to disappoint people.' Thought Harry, inwardly realising how similar he and Draco were.

'I guess we're a lot more alike than I thought.' Murmured Harry, looking at Draco with something other than interest in his absolutely mesmerising green eyes. 'Huh?' Draco looked at him, and stormy grey clashed with emerald green. 'We don't want our children to have our destinies forced on them. We want them to be free to make their own choices.' Harry smiled at Draco, resisting the urge to kiss Draco's pale lips. They formed a grin, and everything seemed to move in slow motion.

They moved closer to each other, and to Draco, the night, the Black Lake, the pier, and everything else melted away. There was only Harry. 'Would you mind if someone, not me, just a vague someone, kissed you? Like the vague someone being a guy?' Asked Draco, immediately regretting his decision. 'I guess it depends on who the person is.' Said harry evasively.

'If that someone was me?' Draco said, probing further into Harry's personal space, hardly daring to believe what he was saying. 'Oh god, Draco.' Said Harry, staring at his companion. Draco felt crushed. Was the love of his life slipping away? Did he not share the same feelings as Draco did for him?

'I would.' Then Draco felt Harry's lips firmly plant over his, a sudden and dizzying feeling of ecstasy crashing into him in waves.

Draco had never before been kissed like this. Harry Potter seriously knew how to make out. Draco felt Harry his tongue way into his mouth. It felt…good. A groan escaped Draco's lips. When Harry finally broke apart, both their faces were flushed, and they were grinning madly. 'Good god, man.' Smiled Harry. 'Can I say something? In light of what just happened?' Asked Draco. Something else was governing his mind and body today.

'Shoot.' Harry was perfectly normal, although his cheeks had a fair amount of blush in them. 'I love you, Potter.' Harry was silent. 'That's not my name.' Said Harry, his voice low. Now it was Draco's turn to not speak. 'Go on. Say it. Seven years now, Draco. What I've learned, it's never too late to turn back.' Harry smiled encouragingly, and Draco wanted to melt away into Harry, lost in that beautiful, beautiful boy forever.

'I...I love you, Harry.' Said Draco, muffling all other conversation into another, deeper kiss, lips parting, tongues dancing, chests heaving, and moans and groans filled the night.

'I love you.' Was all Harry said, and Draco's low rumble was encouragement and reply enough for Harry.


End file.
